Centrifugal pump for handling suspensions contianing large particulate matter



Jan. 18, 1966 w. D. HESSLER 3,229,641

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP FOR HANDLING SUSPENSIONS CONTAINING LARGE PARTIGULATEMATTER Flled Feb 24 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG] INVENTOR. WILLIAM D.HESSLER BY a ATTO R N EY Jan. 18, 1966 Filed Feb. 24 1964 W. D. HESSLERCENTRIFUGAL PUMP FOR HANDLING SUSPENSIONS T Q (Q v I n LL 8 T l O t g(Tl g I l l 1 r N '7- g l a 3 a INVENTOR.

WILLIAM D. HESSLER ATTORNEY Jan. 18, 1966 w. D. HESSLER 3,229,641

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP FOR HANDLING SUSPENSIONS CONTAINING LARGE PARTICULATEMATTER Flled Feb 24 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 7 INVENTOR. WILLIAM D. HESSLERATTORNEY United States Patent 3,229 641 CENTRIFUGAL PUMP FOR HANDLINGSUSPEN- SIONS CONTAINING LARGE PARTICULATE MATTER William D. Hessler,Wyckolf, N.J., assignor to International Telephone and TelegraphCorporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maryland Filed Feb. 24,1964, Ser. No. 346,974 1 Claim. (Cl. 103103) This invention relatesgenerally to centrifugal PllIIllPS, and particularly to a pump adaptedto pump slurries, sludges or silt containing trash, rock, debris orother large particulate matter.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a pumpadapted to pump liquids containing large particulate matter insuspension, and to provide in such a pump structure whereby the inletside of the pump can be disassembled to provide ready access to the pumpinterior to remove solid matter which has become lodged in the pumpbody.

Another object is to provide a readily detachable suction elbowconnecting a fixed suction pipe with the eye of the pump, which suctionelbow can be readily disconnected from the pump body, so that largeparticulate matter can readily be removed when the same is jammed in thepump impeller and volute scroll, and to provide in such pump furtherremovable structure for laying open the entire pump cavity for replacingthe volute scroll and the pump impeller when the same becomes necessary,or for permitting the dislodgement of the particulate material when thesame is not readily possible by removal of the suction elbow alone.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from a study of thefollowing specification taken with the drawings, which togetherillustrate and describe a preferred embodiment of the invention and whatis now considered to be the best mode of practicing the principlesthereof. Other embodiments of the invention may be suggested to thosehaving the benefit of the teachings hereof, and such other embodimentsare intended to be preserved especially as they fall within the scopeand purview of the subjoined claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a centrifugal pumphaving the improvements according to the present invention embodiedtherein;

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof looking in the direction of the arrows 22of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an opposite end view looking in the direction of the arrows 33of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view looking in the direction of thearrows 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved pump according to thepresent invention is referred to generally by the reference numeral andincludes a generally cylindrical pump housing 11 which is surmounted bya discharge and priming tank 12 having a discharge opening 12atherefrom. The lower extremities of the housing 11 have webs 13extending therefrom, which terminate at their lower end in spaced feet14 having drilled openings 16 therein whereby the pump housing can besecured to any suitable base, not shown.

The housing 11 has a front wall 17 provided with a circular opening 18to receive a front closure 19 sealed at opening 18 by an O-ring seal 20.The closure 19 has cars 21 extending therefrom, and the same are held inposition by wing nuts 22 threaded onto studs 23 extending from ears 24on the pump housing 11, and registering with drilled holes in closure19.

The housing 11 has a rear wall 26 spaced from the front wall 17, andwall 26 may be cast integrally with an annular rib 27 to receive agenerally annular shaped shaft support 28. The center of shaft support28 has a hub 29 enclosing the conventional shaft seals and bearings, notshown, for a shaft 31. Hub 29 may be cast integrally with a stilfenerweb 30 extending to shaft support 28, and the latter is secured tohousing 11 by cap screws 28a tapped into housing 11.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the opposite side of the annular rib 27,within housing 11, is arranged to receive a volute scroll 32 having anannular rib 33 fitting snugly within the annular rib 27 of the housing11, and an annular flange 34 bearing against the inside of annular rib2'7. The volute scroll 32 is located properly in position at the annularrib 27 by an aligning screw 34 tapped into the rib 27.

The volute scroll 32 has a wall 36 extending against the closure 19, asseen more particularly in FIG. 1, and the wall 36 has a curve in theform of an involute, as seen more particularly in FIG. 4.

An impeller referred to generally by the reference numeral 35 consistsof a disc 37 having a central hub 38 connected to the shaft 31. One suchform of connection to the shaft 37 may be by means of a milled slot 39in the hub 38 and shaft 31 and a conventional Woodrufi key 41, in amanner well known, the hub 38 bearing against a shoulder 42 on the pumpshaft 31. The assembly is held against longitudinal displacement onshaft 31 by a retaining nut threaded to the end of shaft 31. Anothermode of connection of the impeller 35 to the shaft 31 consists ofthreading the end of the shaft 31 as at 43 and blind tapping the hub 38with complementary threads.

The impeller 35 has vanes 46 which are curved in the manner shown, andwhich are spaced a distance at their inner ends corresponding to thediameter of an opening 47 in the closure 19. Opening 47 is coaxial withthe axis of the drive shaft 31, opening 47 being large enough toaccommodate the larger size particulate matter, which is moved togetherwith the liquid suspending the same by curved vanes 46 to the dischargeand priming tank 12 having the discharge opening 12a therefrom.

The inner face of closure 19 is provided with an annular wear plate 40which is hardened and surface ground. Wear plate 40 is held to closure19 by counter sunk screws, not shown.

The housing 11 and the discharge tank 12 are cast integrally with afixed inlet suction pipe 51 having an inlet fitting 49 secured thereto.Inlet suction pipe 51 includes a curved wall 52 separating the dischargechamber 12 from the inlet pipe 51. A suction valve indicated generallyby the reference numeral 53 is interposed between the inlet fitting 49and the inlet pipe 51, and is held in place by cap screws 54, see FIG.3, which also hold the inlet fitting 49 in place against the inlet pipe51.

An opening 56 is provided from the inlet suction pipe 51, and theopening 56 is coterminous with a suction elbow 57 connecting the suctioninlet pipe 51 with the opening 47 in the removable closure 19. A gasket58 is held in an annular rib 59 on the up er end of the suction elbow57, and against the opening 56 of the inlet pipe 51. A similar gasket 61is held in a recess 62 at the removable closure 19, and gasket 61 sealsagainst a flange 63 at the lower end of the suction elbow 57.

Structure is provided for holding the suction elbow 57 in positionbetween the opening 56 of the inlet suction pipe 51 and against theremovable closure 19 at the opening 47 therein, and comprises a pair ofspaced abutments 64 which are preferably cast integrally with theremovable closure 19. The two abutments 64 cooperate with a securingmember in the form of a yoke 66 straddling the suction elbow as seen inFIG. 3. Yoke 66 has leg members 67, each of which terminates in a clevis'suction elbow 57, and that the yoke member 66 and the legs67 thereoflikewise lie on such plane when securing suction elbow 57 in position.Such structure insures thatthe force exerted by the yoke 66 and thescrew 71 is such that it can be divided into two componentsin'suringfirm seating of the upper end of the elbow 57 at the opening'56, and'of the lower end of the elbow 57, at the opening 47 in theclosure 19.

Usually, if there is clogging of the pump 10, the same can be correctedby quickly releasing the screw 71 and rocking the yoke 67 to a position'where it will not hinder the removal of the suction elbow 57. The yoke66 will'customarily be rocked: in a counter-clockwise .direction as seenin FIG. 1 upon release of the screw 71, whereupon the suction 'elbow 57can be readily removed. The opening 47 in the removable closure 19 is ofa size permitting insertion of suitable tools to dislodge any matterwhich is hung up at the impeller 35 or at the volute scroll 32.

In those cases where'the particulate matter is of such a size that itcannot be removed by the aforedescribed operation, the closure 19 maythen be readily removed by releasing the wing nuts 22 seen in FIG. 3,the closure then being guided along the studs 23 for such removal.

'It will'be seen from the foregoing description that there have beenprovided some newand useful improvements in the art ofcentrifugal pumpsfor pumping heavy liquid suspensions having large suspended particulatematter therein. The structure disclosed according to the presentinvention makes it possible readily and expeditiously not only tocorrect a clogged condition thereof, but also to make immediate repairswhich may become necessary by wear of the parts, these repairs beingcapable of being done in the field, if necessary. For example, thevolute scroll'32can readily be removed from the pump housing '11 byrelease ofthe securingscrew 334 seen in FIG. 4.

Since the closure 19 carries the hardened and ground wear plate thereon,a new closure 19 may be supplied or a, new wear plate 40 substituted forthe worn one.

While the invention has been described in terms of a 4 preferredembodiment thereof, the scope is'intended to be limited only by theclaims hereto appended.

I claim:

In a centrifugal pump particularly adapted to pump fluids havinglar'geparticulate matter suspended therein and adapted to permit rapidopening of the pumping chamber to dislodge said particulate matter whennecessary, a pump housing including a pump volute therein definingapumping chamber, a pump impeller adapted to rotate about an' axiswithin said pump volute, a readily removable closurefor said'pumphousing including an opening in said closure lying on the axis ofrotation of said impeller, a fixed suction pipe spaced from saidopening, suction elbow means connecting said fixed suction pipe withsaid opening in said closure, and means for holding said suction elbowin position-betweensaid fixed suction pipe and said opening and forproviding ready removal of said suction elbow apart from said closure toenable said particulate material near said axis to be removed from saidimpeller without removing said closure, said means comprising a pair ofabutments formed on said closure flanking the opening of said closure,the centers of said abutments lying in aplane which is approximately abisector of the included angle of said suction elbow, a yoke memberstraddling said suction elbow and having leg members pivotally connectedto said flanking abutments, and threaded means acting between said yokemember and a point on said suction elbow and along the plane which isthe aforesaid angle bisector, said closure being removable together withsaid yoke member after removal of said suction elbow to expose saidvolute and impeller for the removal ofparticulate matter lodged therein.

References Cited by the Examiner SAMUEL LEVINE, Exd rhiher.

JOSEPH H. BRANSON,IJR.,VKARL J. ALBRECHT, Examiners.

HENRY F. RADUAZO, Assistant Examiner.

